Zambia & Rhodesia Genealogy leads...

A find in a drawer - Hadden, White, Johnstone and others

2013-01-06T05:19:00.001-08:00

You never know what will turn up in a drawer. In a desk bought by our family the following papers were found. The first is a letter from Canada written by a grateful lady in Winnipeg, the wife of a soldier cared for by Miss White, written in 1917.

The letter reads:

15 Fawcett Avenue, Winnipeg, Canada

My dear Miss White,

Ever since my husband Corp. Edwin B. Johnstone, told me of your goodness towards him and your splendid nursing, I have intended writing to thank you for all your kindness, but owing to illness in our home and the death of my father I have been kept pretty busy, with not much time for letter writing, so I hope you will forgive my tardy appreciation, which is none the less sincere on that account.

As you perhaps know, I have a sister in the Q.A's, and on that account have great sympathy with all nurses - especially the conscientious ones, such as I know you are, for my husband tells me the boys all call you "Sunshine", and really from your photo (which I have and shall always prize) I do not blame them - indeed heartily endorse their sentiment. In the weariness and sadness you are bound to experience in the course of fulfilling your duty, I assure you, you can take heart and go on, when you remember how thankful the poor boys all are for your cheerfullness and kindness. Such a disposition as yours cannot be anything but a blessing, and I do indeed wish you success in your work.

Perhaps you know that Mr. Johnstone is now at Folkstone seeing what can be done in the way of getting an artificial eye; I don't suppose they will return him to Canada, but give him light duty of some sort in England, and I am content it should be so, as I am proud to say there is not a man in our family who is not in khaki, and my only wish for them if they get wounded is that they should all be as fortunate as Edwin and fall into the tender care of a nurse who is not in the army for the sake of the uniform or what can be got out of it, but is in it for the sake of humanity and love of the Master who said "that in as much as ye have done it unto one of the least of my brethren ye have done it unto me."

Sincerely and gratefully yours,
Ruby B. Johnstone.

P.S. I have sent you a book of views of Winnipeg, but whether or not the postal authorities will permit it to go through remains to be seen. RBQ.

My mother writes:

After the first world war, Miss White came to live and work in Zambia in an African hospital. Here she met and married a lawyer, Mr James Haddon. They had only one son - James Haddon Jnr, known as Jimmy, whose name is in the register of the old school near the Boma. He also became a lawyer, and later Justice Haddon. He did not marry until after his mother's death (in the 1970s?), to a divorcee. Their house, which was in one of the roads off the Great East Road, running towards the Roman Catholic Church, was sold, with most of the furniture.

I am not sure if this should be Hadden or Haddon, however, the drawer held more surprises: two newspaper clippings from 1936. The first mentions the sale of a property, (perhaps the house in which these papers were found?) to a Mrs Morton for £450, Plot no 62 Fairview, sold by auction by Samuel Haslett at Counsell's Hotel, Lusaka, "lately occupied by Mr. Hadden", with conditions of sale available from Mr John Barklie, solicitor.

Also dated 1936, an article on work being done by members of the Women's Institute, mentioning Mrs Haddon, sister-in-charge at the Native Welfare Clinic, presumably the Miss White mentioned earlier.

The party were met by Mr Kirk, the manager, who gave them a guided tour.

Before leaving, Mrs H. Rich expressed the thanks of the members to Mrs Haddon and Mr Kirk for affording them such an interesting and enlightening morning.
(The reverse side of this clipping has a fragment of an article about Hitler and the Nazis.)

The auction clipping also has the following fragment mentioning Mr and Mrs Susman and their daughter Ella's marriage to Mr Harry Robinson, as well as some news of the Connaught Cup golf tournament, won by Mrs Morgans and Jack Davidson, playing against Mrs Moore and Mr Misplon. A local team plans a trip to Bulawayo, to include Messrs Jager, Burgess and Maxwell.

And to round things out, I would guess that these links refer to the Johnstones in this post:

http://newspaperarchive.com/winnipeg-free-press/1984-09-10/page-33
http://www.winnipeg.ca/ppd/cemeteries/Brookside/BrooksideJO_JO.html
http://passages.winnipegfreepress.com/passage-details/id-77075/name-Barbara_Johnstone/

Aylmer May Cemetery

2012-09-29T02:53:00.004-07:00

Aylmer May Cemetery was founded in 1922 next to an old African burial ground, and named after Dr Aylmer May, Northern Rhodesia's first chief medical officer.

According to Gelfand [1], who gives a detailed account of medical services in Northern Rhodesia, the BSAC recognised that the success of their venture depended on their dealing with malaria, sleeping sickness and other endemic diseases facing settlers. At this time (before 1899) there were two administrative regions - N W Rhodesia and N E Rhodesia. When Major Forbes took over administration of the country there were already a few doctors belonging to the London Missionary Society south of Lake Tanganyika. One of the earliest was Dr Chisholm of Mwenzo Mission (Livingstonia, Malawi) and in Fort Jameson was Dr Roberts of the North Charterland Exploration Company. In 1899 Dr John McKenzie was appointed to the men working on the telegraph line from Karonga to Abercorn. Also mentioned is Mr R. Stewart-Wright, who came to Lake Tanganyika in 1887 and was known for his medical knowledge. At this time the population of about 150 Europeans was largely reliant on missionary doctors, who would travel long distances from their stations to treat patients.

In 1899, when Codrington became administrator of the territory, he attempted to negotiate formal payments to the doctors of the LMS to secure their continued help. However, the home society rejected his offers, feeling that their doctors would be diverted too often from their proper mission. Nevertheless they assured Codrington that help would still be on offer and donations were still welcome for these services. Codrington duly sent a donation of £50 to the LMS.

Meanwhile, Codrington worked on builing up the administration's own medical force, beginning with the appointment of Dr Spillane at Fort Jameson. Next came Dr Doveton A. Martin, who arrived in 1900 on the generous salary of £500 with free quarters. LMS doctors continued to treat patients as necessary, given the vast distances to be travelled and scarcity of medical expertise. The administration then required the LMS doctors to pay a £10 licence fee and a regsitration fee, causing a dispute only resolved in 1910, when the registration fee was waived, and the licence fee reduced to £5.

Aylmer May photo inside Murray memorial

By 1909 many more doctors had been appointed, Spillane retired from 7 years medical administration and Dr Aylmer May, the chief medical officer of NW Rhodesia, assumed responsibility for the medical work of both NW and NE Rhodesia. (The two territories were merged in 1911 to become Northern Rhodesia.)

In 1913 Dr May reported on the health of settlers in Lusaka and Chilanga,

'high mortality from climatic diseases among the Dutch immigrants of Lusaka district... Eight of the 12 deaths reported during the last 18 months were due to climatic diseases, four of these to blackwater fever.'

At this time Lusaka's drainage was notoriously bad, which is presumably why May refers to climatic conditions.

Following May's report Lusaka officially became a township and amongst other duties the management board was to supply 'every occupier of a home with a sanitary pail for every five persons'. Regulations were introduced concerning waste disposal. But by World War I there was still no hospital in Lusaka. That was to come in 1918, consisting of two huts with two beds in each.

[1] Northern Rhodesia in the days of the Charter, M. Gelfand, 1961

Since 1999 a trust has been working on restoration of the Aylmer May Cemetery site and I was impressed by the welcome we received from the caretakers and the effort that has been made.

Although the cemetery was closed to burials in 1952, there is memorial wall for ashes and I believe that family plots may still be open, as I saw much more recent headstones. Ask me if you want a photo of a gravestone - I got most of them.

Here you can see some photos of the site on Lagos Road ( Google Earth 15°24'30.46"S 28°17'54.25"E).

There are separate sections for Afrikaners, British, Asians, Africans, Polish, Muslim and Jewish graves within the same site!

tomb of Audrey Murray

The most notable grave (at least in terms of its visibility) is that of Audrey Murray, which you can see to the left. Photos from inside this monument are below. You can read more of the Murray family history here.

Audrey Murray (O'Brien) wife of
Thomas Murray of Kalomo

African burial ground

I was told that the African burial ground was centuries old. There are no markers, but the site is within the enclosure of the main site.

The Aylmer May website has a list of burials here. Ask me for a picture of a gravestone - I have photos of many of them.

The names given are:

Aledeirim, Alexander, Allan, Allman, Angier, Anscombe, Anthony, Armitage, Armstrong, Arnaldo, Arnott, Ascott, Atkinson

Badat, Badenhorst, Ball, Bardell, Barkley, Barklie, Barnett, Baxter, Beaman
Cambell, Campbell, Carinus, Carr, Cartmell, Cartwright, Celinska, Celliers, Cessler, Chavda, Chowles, Cilliers, Clacher, Clark, Clarke, Cloete, Coakes, Coetser, Coetzee, Coetzee, Coker, Collins, Conder, Cook, Cooke, Cooper, Copeman, Cormack, Coulson, Counsell, Cowie, Crause, Crosley, Crouse, Culverwell, Cusack, Czarnecki, Czerniecki

Dahl, Daly, Davel, Davey, Davidson, Davies, de Beer, de Gray Birch, Dean, Dechow, Desai, Diallo, Diew, Digby, Dixon, du Buisson, du Plessis
Earl Spurr, Ebert, Ecksteen, Edwards, Elliot, Ellis, Elridge, Elton, Elvidge, Emms, Erasmus, Erlank, Esterhuizen, Eva, Evans
Fanstone, Fauconer, Faulconer, Faurie, Feger, Ferreira, Fevrier, Few, Findlay Cooper, Fischer, Fitz Williams, Fitz-Henry, Fogerty, Forde, Foreman, Fourie, Foxwell, Foyster, Fredman, Frost, Fuller
Gabb, Gadd, Gair, Garrett, Gaszewska, Geldenhuys, Gelu, Georgopoullos, Gerber, Gerstner, Geyser, Ghumra, Girling, Gomes, Goosen, Gorden-James, Gordon, Gough, Grabowska, Greef, Greenberg, Grey, Griffith, Grindley-Ferris, Grissing, Grosse, Grove, Gunning, Guttmann
Hall, Halsenda, Hamilton, Hand, Hankel, Harina, Harris, Hart, Harvey, Haslett, Hason, Hay, Hayes, Healey, Helberg, Helliwell, Herbst, Hicham, Higham, Hill, Hilton, Hodson, Hoffer, Hogg, Holland, Home, Hopgood, Hornby, Hovbert, Hugo, Hulme, Human, Hutchinson, Hyam
Innes, Isaac, Ismail
Jackman, Jacobs, Jaffray, Jakubowicz, Jarvis, Jay, Jensen, Johnson, Jones, Jooste, Jordaan, Joubert
Kallmann, Kay, Keith, Kelufwe, Keppie, Key, Keyte, Kietzmann, Kimpton, Kirby, Kirk, Kissock, Klein, Kleusch, Klis, Knight, Kohl, Kozak, Kozakiewicz, Krol, Kruger, Krzesinska, Kukne, Kwitkowska, Kwtkowsky
Lad, Ladds, Lajacz, Lamb, Landanski, Landless, Landsberg, Lang, Lapatto, Lazarus, Le Roux, Lean, Lee, Leslie, Letchworth, Lettmann, Lewis, Liebenberg, Light, Limbada, Lindeque, Lindley, Lineker, Loewenstein, Logie, Loosen, Lord, Lovell, Lowe, Lunat, Luzanna
Mac millan, Macfadyean, Macfarlane, Mackenzie, Macrae, Majewska, Mallaghan, Manning, Manson, Maree, Maritz, Marmon, Marrapodi, Marriott, Martin, Masters, Masur, Matheison, Mathews, Mattiussi, Matuk, Maybin, McGaghey, McGregor, McIntyre, McKenzie, McLaren, Melville, Meman, Mendelsohn, Merico, Merry, Merwin, Methuen, Meyer, Meysher, Mieczystawa, Miller, Minnaar, Mistry, Mitchell, Mitchelson, Molyneux, Morris, Morton, Moss, Mostert, Mouritzen, Mroz, Mulla, Muller, Murphy, Murray, Murry, Myburgh

Nagdi, Naik, Naismith, Neethling, Nefdt, Nel, Nell, Nimmo, Noyce
Oberholster, Oberholtzer, Ogilvie, O'Gorman, Old, Omar, Omions, Oosthuizen, Ormsby, Osborne, Ousthuizen
Paduchowski, Palciwitz, Palmary, Pandor, Parekh, Parmar, Parr, Parsons, Patel, Paul, Payne, Peacock, Penfold, Pentz, Peplow, Perfect, Perrin, Philips, Pickering, Pienaar, Pience, Pipenic, Plenkel, Poilly, Popiel, Posesisyna, Potgieter, Pottinger, Pratt, Prentice, Price, Prime, Prosak, Pukliez, Pullen, Pullock
Quinche,
Raaths, Radcliffe, Ralph, Rautenbach, Rex, Reynolds, Richardson, Rickett, Roberts, Robertson, Rocher, Roderick, Romans, Roos, Roper, Rose, Ross, Roux, Rutkowska, Ryan,

Salene, Salgueiro, Santos, Schafers, Schmid, Schoeman, Schwagel, Scmickerling, Scott, Scotten, Scott-Hayward, Senekal, Sergeant, Shapiro, Shardlow, Shawe, Short, Sialafyaka, Simon, Sivewright, Skinner, Skobie, Skwanek, Slement, Slusarewicz, Smit, Smith, Smith, Sola, Soloman, Sonnekus, Spain, Speck, St??, Staislawa, Staley, Stander, Stanislaw, Stanley, Stecko, Steer, Steirer, Stellon, Stephens, Sterk, Sterley, Steyn, Stols, Strauss, Strydom, Stylianos, Suchocki, Suleman, Swanepoel, Swanepool, Swarbreck, Swarmers, Swart, Sweet, Swiegelaar, Swiegers, Sykes, Szelpuk, Szezzpek, Szkwarkowski

Takarozyk, Tapson, Tattis, Tavares, Taylor, Teagle, Tee, Terblanche, Ternieseh, Thomas, Thompson, Thomson, Thornicroft, Thornville, Thorpe, Tillett, Timmins, Tregaskis, Triveda, Trivedi, Trundle, Trytsman, Turner, Twilley

Uys,

van Biljon, van Blerk, van der Heever, van der Merwe, van Deventer, van Heerden, van Niekerk, van Rensberg, van Schalkwyk, van Staden, van Tonder, van Vuuren, van Werkhoven, van Werrhoven, van Zyl, Vaughan, Venter, Verinder, Vermeulen, Viljoen, Virgin, Visagie, Vlotman, Voges, Vos, Vozos

Wackrill, Waddell, Wade, Waldman, Walker, Walton Waring, Wassermann, Wasziewicz, Waters, Waugh, Wdowa, Webb, Weber, Wells, Wessels, Wheeler, Whittaker, Wienand, Wilks, Willans, Willey, William, Williams, Williamson, Wilson, Wiltshire, Wisnieska, Wisniewski, Wood, Wright, Wroe, Wulfsohn, Wulpowitz

Yarborough, Yeats, Young,
Zajaczkowski, Zambori, Zaverdinos, Zbiginien, Zofia, Zunckel

If you would like to add or correct any information for any relatives or friends interned at Aylmer May Cemetery there is a contact address: Mrs. Carrol Fleming (scksflem@gmail.com) who runs the Ayler May Cemetery website.

Chilumbulu Road grave, Lusaka

2012-09-08T11:43:00.000-07:00

I'm back from another trawl of Lusaka, replete with more photos to share. I heard there was a lone grave on Chilumbulu Road and so set off to find it. Eventually it was spotted on a patch of wasteland, surely once an attractive spot, with a line of trees bordering the road suggesting that here was once someone's home or perhaps a farm. However, this is speculation. All I can say is that now it is little more than a public tip, with piles of smouldering smoking waste, criss-crossed by paths. And in the midst of this is a lone grave - as far as I could tell, just the one. There was some text on the cross, but it was hard to make out any letters.

The approximate location of this stone (as determined by hunting on google earth) is 15°26'53.38"S, 28°19'44.53"E.

It is a little way east of Libala Secondary School (which was looking quite decent from the outside). Nobody I spoke to had any idea whose grave this is. Does anyone know? The first row seems to include the letters OM and the digits .7.45. The second row has the letters (R?) M (IN?) and the number 18.

The coat of arms

2012-08-14T09:12:00.001-07:00

Here is some history of the coat of arms of Northern Rhodesia given in 'A brief guide to Northern Rhodesia', which you can read on the internet archive (p.132).

We are told that the fish eagle flying with its prey over a representation of the Victoria Falls harks back to David Livingstone's exploration as a forerunner of the European settlement here. The white lines represented the water, and the black lines the rocks of the precipice.

Discussion of designs for a coat of arms began in 1925, when one suggestion was for a representation of the constellation Orion, 'a mighty hunter who drove all the beasts of the field before him', on the basis that this was 'a prowess which distinguished most early Rhodesians.' In 1926 further design ideas rejected were a river scene (not suited to heraldry) and the sable antelope (already used by Southern Rhodesia). Any animal less than an elephant (as used by the paramount chief of Barotseland) or the buffalo (as used by Lewanika) it was said would be 'noticeable in African eyes', but a lion was not possible as that was used in Great Britain's royal arms.

In 1927, discussions between Sir Richard Goode and a heraldry expert yielded the design above. It was drawn by G. Kruger Gray to Sir Goode's design and accepted in the same year, being also approved by King George V in 1930 and granted as armorial bearings in 1939.

On this heraldry site it is pointed out that some people objected to the 'dead fish' the eagle held. There are connotations of colonial plundering in the eagle holding its prey in this way, though it seems unlikely that this was ever considered when it was drawn. More likely the fish was added to make clear that the eagle was a fish eagle and to signify the fecundity of the land.

The same design can still be seen in part in Livingstone's coat of arms, where Dr David Livingstone is one of two figures holding on to the shield. Here there is also an African man with a paddle, probably a royal paddler from the Lozi tribe, as would paddle the royal barge during Kuomboka.

The image above appears to be taken from a fairly recent stamp issue depicting the coats of arms of the 'four most important Zambian cities' - Kitwe, Ndola, Lusaka and Livingstone. It has also been pointed out that, of course, fish eagles are black and white, and not gold, as the eagle has later been interpreted. Now there is also no longer a fish in its talons. (However, the fish eagle is the national bird of Zambia and Zimbabwe, and its call is used as the calling signal on at least one Zambian radio station.)

The legend says Procedens Floreo, that is, proceeding to flourish or prosper.

I am stumped by the circular cog at the bottom - could it be a paddle wheel? (I was very tempted to go into a long discussion of Livingstone's famous phrase 'I am prepared to go anywhere, so long as it is forward.')

It seems though that there is another interpretation, in which Livingstone's head emerges weirdly from the river and a man and a woman hold the shield, as on the national coat of arms.

The same design of water falling is also seen in the more familiar Zambian coat of arms. I well remember learning the meanings of the various parts of this when I was in primary school. Here again we have the golden eagle, or at least an eagle coloured gold, given that golden eagles don't occur in Zambia. This is also said to represent the abilities of the country to rise above its problems, as for the eagle on the Zambian flag.

A man and a woman, equally important, hold the shield, above the motto created by Kenneth Kaunda: One Zambia, one nation. We also see symbols of agriculture (the hoe, a maize cob), mining (a pick), also a mine shaft (near the man's leg) and a zebra (wildlife, tourism). The prominence of the waterfall feature probably dates back to the time when Livingstone was the capital of the country, but also is important because Zambia takes its name from the Zambezi river, which flows over the falls.

As I was leaving Lusaka airport recently I suddenly realised I had all the coats of arms right in front of me on the wall! However, at the last minute I contrived to take lousy photos of them. I include a couple more below that weren't so bad:

Kitwe's says 'Let us build a city', Chingola's says 'Servire Creare Et', and Kabwe's 'The eagle carries us on high'.

I also made a point of trying to get Lusaka's ('Prospice') coat of arms and found it at the civic centre on a copper plaque, and also high on the outer wall, hence the odd angle (and again my airport shot was a disaster).

It is interesting that on the Livingstone coat of arms there actually appears to be something more like a river flowing over the falls! It is tempting to think that the bars across the falls are the railway bridge, but they do not resemble the bridge, which you can see below:

If you look closely, you will see some bungee jumping going on! This is taken from the 'boiling pot', the part of the gorge below the falls where the water is funnelled through from the main cataracts. Here you can also start white water rafting trips, depending on the time of year.

It will probably take someone familiar with heraldry to demystify the Livingstone coat of arms further.

A brief guide to Northern Rhodesia

2012-06-30T00:20:00.000-07:00

It is well worth trawling the internet archive for content. New material is liable to emerge at any time. Here is some nice material relating to early independence (and before) era, online.

A brief guide to Northern Rhodesia Unfortunately the epub seems a bit messed up - if you want to download it, try the PDF with text, which seems okay and not too large. It's a guide that's short enough to print, if the urge strikes you.

This is a booklet issued by the Northern Rhodesia Information Department and printed in Lusaka in 1960, so comes a few years before independence. It is described as 'a guide for intending settlers, visitors and others wishing to know something about Northern Rhodesia'.

We are told that the first explorer was 'a Portuguese half-breed Manoel Pereira' in 1796. (Something particularly riles me at the suggestion that anyone is half of anything.) Pereira apparently crossed the Luangwa and Chambeshi rivers to reach the court of chief Kazembe, who had conquered large areas of land around Lake Mweru. He was soon followed by the governor of Sena (present day Mozambique) Dr de Lacerda in an attempt to open up trade routes, but Lacerda died on the way and Fr Francisco Pinto took charge of the expedition.

Next come two half-case traders (I wonder if half-caste is the same as half-breed, sigh) Pedro Baptista and Anstacia Jose, coming from Angola in 1802. In 1832 Major Monteiro and Captain Gamitto return to Kazembe's area, but after this Portuguese interest seems to decline.

We then get an account of Livingstone's time, on his mission of Christianity and commerce, and mention of some of those who followed in his immediate footsteps.

In 1893 the African Lakes Company transferred its concessions in the north of Zambia and into Malawi and Tanganyika to the BSA and in 1900 their span reached further south following their treaty with Lewanika (see right, shown with Rev Adolphe Jalla of the Paris Evangelical Mission, in 1902).

There are sections on the centres of population, living conditions, farming, mining , 'African affairs', tourism and more.

There are also many references to further publications the interested reader could explore.

Here are some more pictures that may be of interest. The athletes here are Gordon Pirie and Yotam Muleya (racing in Southern Rhodesia).

Further mentions go to the Waddington Players (drama society) and their production of "Noah", the Lusaka Civic Centre (these days virtually invisible from the road), a Young Farmers club (not clear where), Regent Street, Kitwe, a rural parish church (unamed) in Abercorn (Mbala), a luxury hotel in Lusaka (puzzled as to which this is! could it be the Ridgeway?), students at David Livingstone Teacher Training college, the agricultural show (must be in Lusaka at this time) and the police motorcyle display team.

Last Kafue gravestones

2012-05-12T01:18:00.000-07:00

This is my last Kafue graveyard posting. I decided to go up to 1970 (or so) and stop there, but I have photos of many later gravestones. If you are interested in a particular one, ask me and I'll see if I have it, though I'm aware that I did not get them all, as it was a particularly hot day!

General views of the graveyard can be seen here:

http://a-brickwall.blogspot.co.uk/p/old-cemetery-kafue.html

In this posting:

1. Van de Schyff / Schoeman, 1931

2. Birnard Stewart 1932

3. John Darg-Fraser, d 1934

4. Rossiter d 1916

5. Martha Muller, 1928

6. Hercules Muller, 1928

=======================================================

1. In loving memory of my dear wife, and our mother, Anna H. F. v. d. SCHYFF , born 22 Dec 1892, died 26 April 1931.

2. To the loving memory of Birnard, infant son of Mr and Mrs J. R. Stewart, born at Kafue 20th June 1931, died at Lusaka 9th June, 1932. "Thy will be done."

3. John Darg-Fraser d. 19th March 1934

Presumably (given the unusual name) related to

"MRS. J. FRASER, 1895 or earlier Christian names Euphemia Darg. This lady had a son, Eon Roderick Davidson, born in Salisbury on 27/9/95. Her husband, John Fraser, was a mining engineer. Information, the Cathedral, Salisbury, Baptismal Register, Vol I, National Archives." As mentioned here under Rhodesian Pioneers.

4. W. L. Rossiter, died 22 Jan 1916

Could this be the same Rossiter mentioned in 'Showtime' (see elsewhere on this blog), an Australian who worked with a Higginson from Lancaster , in 1912, 'who traded grain along the banks of the [Kafue] river for 200 miles, using a small whaling boat left over from the railway construction and the steel hull of a launch brought out by the Rhodesian Copper Company for the Sable Antelope mine north of Mumbwa, but never used because of the rapids'.

I imagined these two Mullers must have been related. Perhaps someone will know them.

5. In loving memory of my darling daughter Martha Elizabeth Petronella Muller, born Sept 14 1909, died Feb 26, 1928, R.I.P.

6. Hercules Pitrus Muller, died Feb 18th 1928, aged 36 years, which makes him born around 1892.

More people of all nations

2012-05-05T01:12:00.002-07:00

I thought I might as well post a few more pictures from that interesting magazine "People of all Nations", published in 1922. I trawled through another volume that has many photos from Nigeria, Ghana, the Belgian Congo, Kenya, Ruanda and other countries. These books are always full of pictures showing you "native types", with captions like "statueseque water carrier", "black beauty" or "shy maiden".

Here also we read about the British Empire at a time when it was proud and sure of itself. Sir Sidney Low, lecturer on Imperial History at King's College, London University, tells us:

"The mood of mind which is called 'Imperialism' is not deeply rooted in the English character. Of all the great Western peoples, the British are the most imperial and the least imperialist. The idea of conquest, of ruling subjugated races and nationalities, has never appealed to the nation as a whole, though it may sometimes have fascinated classes and individuals and for brief periods has swept the country with a wave of emotion".

You see, we don't really want to rule you, it's just that we have to, for your own good. Of course, there was much good that came out of the empire, but such language does seem a tad disingenuous given the extent of the British Empire at this time

I don't normally do Southern Rhodesia, or other countries, but on this occasion I decided to make an exception, particularly since scanning an old large volume like this is quite tricky and (sigh) this time I've damaged the thing. Skipping past all the half clothed or shy maidens, I look for the buildings, streets, organisations and occasions. There are a some more Northern Rhodesian ones here as well.

Here we see villagers in remotest Africa; Akano (Nigeria), that is, "listening to the High commissioner's proclamation. It is a cardinal principle of British government in Africa to support native authority and to rule through native rulers in accordance with their own ideas and customs. Under the Pax Brittanica respect for authority is inculcated, the villagers are contented with their lot in settled and secure conditions and the townsmen are becoming public-spirited citizens of the British Empire". (Photo by Major Claud Percival.) The excellent TV series "Empire", with Jeremy Paxman, made a good point about this, quoting the line that the British Empire was ruled by bluff. In some cases the native ruler was appointed by the British, and had no previous authority, however.

Here are canoes on Lake Tanganyika (top) and Lake Bangwelu (bottom). "Tall reeds stud wide expanses of Lake Bangweolo, greatly impeding the progress of canoes. Passengers squat in the bottom of the dug-out and trust to the balancing agility of the crew, who flourish their paddles as rope-walkers do their pole, and use them at once to propel and trim the boat."

This is the drum and bugle band of the Barotse Police in Northern Rhodesia, whose headquarters are near the Victoria Falls (railway) station. "This force formed partly of natives, with white officers and non-commissioned officers, has the responsibility of maintaining good order...." The bandsmen are Barotse, coming from what was formerly known as North-Western Rhodesia.
Here is a picture of the Fort Jameson police, in their uniforms of "fez and jacket", with their musical instrument, a marimba, as I know it. We had one of these xylophones for years in our living room. The dried gourds provide the resonating chamber for wooden slats fixed above them. The gourds had small holes in them, and these were covered with spider nest material. I don't know what you call that stuff - but our house wall spiders make a little white compartment to hatch their spiderlings, and that can be glued to the gourd to cover the hole. The slats are hit with sticks dampened with some material, in modern times probably car tyre or other rubber. The size of the gourd determines the note. Lovely things to hear, particularly when you get a few of them going together in poly-rhythm.

"The North Rhodesian natives in the neighbourhood of the capital, Livingstone, compete eagerly for the honour of being employed as canoe-boys to Government House. They make an exceedingly workmanlike appearance in the white jumpers, white shorts and sailor collars that form the official uniform".

And so to Southern Rhodesia... "For those with a taste for the out-of-doors, a little capital, a little patience, the settler's life in Rhodesia bears comparison with that in any of the world's pleasant places.... Agriculture is well rewarded".

This photo from the BSA shows "successful settlers".

And here is the photo I mentioned in an earlier posting of the Grand Hotel in Bulawayo with motorists "about to make the eighteen-mile excursion to the National Park in the Matopos. This is one of the popular trips from the town, which is Southern Rhodesia's commercial capital and has some six thousand white inhabitants."

Then another street scene, this time Freetown, Sierra Leone. "Trade is the one goal in life of the Sierra Leonean; he is taught its secrets in the cradle".

This street scene is in Zanzibar. Note the sign for the apothecary / chemist W. Richter and Co.

Some more Kafue gravestones

2012-04-28T03:02:00.001-07:00

Here are a few more Kafue gravestones photos taken in 2011.

General views of the graveyard can be seen here

http://a-brickwall.blogspot.co.uk/p/old-cemetery-kafue.html

1. Irving Michael Gouldie, "Buddy" 1934-1962

2. "Urmila" d. 24th April 1965

3. Emily Surtees, daughter of Robert Watson Surtees, of Tynemouth and Newcastle upon Tyne, wife of Charles Light of London, d. 18th Oct 1939

4. In ever fond memory of Francis Elizabeth Crumplin, dearly loved wife of Arthur William Crumplin, died Jan 20th 1937.

5. George Mackain Seaton, 1903-1971. There are one or two likely hits if you google.

6. In loving memory of John and Elizabeth Markley, died June 1970, R.I.P.

7. In loving memory of the late councillor Ruth Nkausu who died on 18.10.1970

Children of the chief, Mabel Shaw

2012-04-06T07:31:00.002-07:00

This one goes out to Mutepa Kamoto who wrote telling me how his grandmother was headmistress at Mabel Shaw school, and mentioned his ancestor Kawandami who also worked at Mbereshi Mission. I guess this must be the same Kawandami mentioned (just once) at the start of this book. I'll write more about Mbereshi another day - when I've read my other book on the mission.

This little book, Children of the Chief, written for children, and published by the London Missionary Society in 1921, tells the story of the beginnings of Mbereshi School for Girls (later Livingstone Memorial School) in Northern Rhodesia - the first school for girls in the colony and the main educational centre for Africans in the area at that time. Many people of the area remember David Livingstone fondly.

We hear of how Mabel Shaw daydreamed during her own schooling in England as the teacher spoke about the great lakes of the rift valley and then we are taken straight into the lives of the very first girls to attend the famous boarding school near Lakes Mweru, Bangwelu and Tanganyika. Based on other accounts, this must have been in 1915, when Mabel would have been about 25 years old. She was the first single woman missionary sent out by the LMS - the Mbereshi mission are waiting for her.

We hear how she went on the Llandovery Castle to Cape Town, coming down the Thames in the dark, 'for it was the days of the great war'.

From Cape Town there is a train ride to Tiger Kloof where three days are spent at the 'native institution' there. From there the journey continues by train to Mafeking, Bulawayo, Victoria Falls and ends at Ndola, where Mabel is met by missionaries from Mbereshi who have walked for 3 weeks to meet her, along with 250 carriers to carry Mabel and luggage back to Mbereshi. One must imagine tables, chairs, baths, cooking utensils, and other provisions (such as tinned food, and coffee) being carried in a long train. Mabel will go by machila, trying hard to understand and be understood as the carriers do not speak English. All education at the school will be in Bemba. The carriers will often sing as they go. There is much amusement at how Mary crosses a tree trunk bridge over a river -- sitting and shuffling herself along.

There was already a boys' school at this time and there had been calls for a girls' school to be established also. Others remained to be persuaded that girls should also be educated. We hear the story from Mabel's point of view, of the first timid students, of parents afraid to leave their children in the boarding school with the white lady, of the children's growth as Christians and of how they were viewed by other children in Mbereshi village. They are called Children of the Chief, bana ba Mfumu, the chief being God. They keep themselves somewhat apart from the other children in the village, are clothed modestly and try to keep to Christian principles. There isn't much told in this book of what they learned, but sewing is one activity and of course the girls learn to read and write, they sing hymns and doubtless are taught about the Bible and Christianity. They begin with 22 girls and later reach their full capacity of 30 pupils.

Here is a sketch of Mbereshi village. Apparently there was a leper camp at one end of the village. There were many leopards and people feared to go out at night or enter the forests alone.

After some time the older girls are given responsibility for the younger ones, becoming their 'mothers'. The youngest children are five years old.

A great treat is a picnic two hours walk away at Chitutawila. The missionaries' children must wear pith helmets and aren't allowed to splash in the river. Many girls suffer from malarial fevers.

During school holidays many girls walk (or if too young are carried) long distances to their home villages.

Once a year the missionaries of the area meet. For those at Mbereshi it means a 2 week journey.

It is not always clear whether first or last names are given, or who is depicted in the photographs.

Here are the names mentioned, most of which are girls who were part of the first girls' school class and boarded at the school with Mabel Shaw. You can guess the four young ones and the four older ones (who were the 'mothers'):

Beti (Betty), Chungu's baby
Chansa (five years old), one week walk to her home
Chileshye
Chiluba (cousin of Nellie, older girl)
Chipepa
Chishimba (niece of Mumba, Mporokoso / Mpolokoso)
Chulumanda (recommended girls should be taught, p17)
Chulunoma (watchman)
Chunda, Malita ('old, wrinkled, thin, tired, yet like a saint'), from Kawambwa
Chungu (older girl)
Fane (Fanny, older girl)
Gershom (baby)
Grey, Miss (Mabel Shaw's own teacher)
Kabombo (man, brings news of Sela's brother dying in Livingstone of influenza)
Kabwe, daugther of Maggie and Sumbukeni, in Chungu's group, mother lived near
Tanganyika
Kasembe's village - report of villages emptied by Arab slavers
Kayula
Kawambwa (camp on return from Kawimbe)
Kawandami (p.17) recommended girls should be taught
Kishya, aged 12, daughter of Malita
Leah (2 years old)
Lile (Lilly?)
Lisi (Lizzie)
Lutina, Mary (5 years old)
Maggie, slave girl of Mwenya Shimwango, taken to Mbereshi by missionaries
Mapoma (carrier)
Mayo (?)
Meli (from Kawimbe? brought to meet them on journey from K to Mbereshi)
Monica (daughter of doctor missionary)
Mulenga (frail, lame girl)
Mulengo, Mary (5 years old)
Mulongoti (carrier)
Mumba, uncle of Nellie
Mupelwa (helped in Mary's big house, older girl) from Kawimbe by Tanganyika
Musonda
Mutiampa (his grandfather met D Livingstone)
Mwamba (lame girl)
Mwenya, Shimwango's wife, would sleep in dormitory with girls
Nakisitu
Ndola (girl) - 1 week walk to her home
Nellie, daughter of Chulumanda, cousin of Chiluba
Nsama (niece of Mumba, from Mporokoso)
Pule
Sarah
Sela
Semba
Shimwango (headman, Lake Tanganyika somewhere)
Sumbukeni (teacher at Mbereshi), Maggie's husband
Timothy, Sela's oldest brother, from Chiengi village, went to Tiger Kloof, ran Mbereshi school for some weeks, died of influenza
Truda (younger daughter of doctor missionary, sister of Monica)

Hymns
Church goers will recognise hymns they sang:

All people that on earth do dwell
Abide with me
There is a city bright
We are all little children weak
When he cometh

References
The School of Oriental and African Studies in London has records of the LMS
JSTOR carries some relevant journals.

Brief biography of Mabel Shaw http://www.mundus.ac.uk/cats/4/915.htm

See also http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/219137?uid=3738032&uid=2129&uid=2&uid=70&uid=4&sid=55958895503

An excellent article is "No girl leaves school unmarried" by Sean Morrow in the Journal of African Studies. More another day.

Diaries of a Kafue district official

2012-03-17T03:37:00.001-07:00

One great thing about sharing an interest online is the people one gets to hear from. Recently I heard from Alasdair Sutter, who has a rare thing in his possession - diaries belonging to an early official in the colonial days of Northern Rhodesia, Alexander Collie Anderson, who was posted to the Mumbwa and Kafue areas from 1902-1908. Based on my Kerswell book we believe Alexander Anderson must have died before 1913.

Kudos to Alasdair for mounting a great effort to make these materials available to more people, which involves a lot of hand transcribing and scanning. You can have a look at his progress here:

http://www.seddepseq.co.uk/Anderson/Index2.htm

We have found some records to the author online at the National Archives, and elsewhere. Any help in locating his campsite would be welcomed!

Names Alasdair has found so far are given below. You can see fuller details here.

Places include Dundee, Glasgow, Lockerbie, Dalkieth (Scotland), Delville (Ireland), London, Australia, Bulawayo, Barotseland, Tanganyika, Kasempa, Wankie, San Francisco, Mwenga, Nkala, Nambala, and Livingstone.

Anderson, Patrick William
Beasley
Boase, Leslie
Bokenham
Bracken
Bulibuli
Bunka (Bunga: Smith & Dale)
Campbell, Colin
Carden, Major
Clayton, Dr. & Mrs.
Coisson, Rev. M.
Coryndon, Robert T.
Davey, Thomas G.
Dorward, Sgt. Major
Farrel, J. R.
Frances Helen Anderson (Nell)
Funkwi
Ganisa
Garbutt, H. W.
George (Anderson)
Gielgud, Val
Green
Grey, George. Capt
Harding, Colin, Colonel
Harris, Capt
Harte Barry, A. M. Capt
Heuston, Mrs
Hook, Capt.
Johnson, Cpl
Kaiyingu
Karemba
Kayenda
Kerr, R. N.
Lara
Lennon Ltd .
Lewanika
Lewis
Lockhart
Lukenta
Macauley, C.E., Col.
Macauley, Frederick Charles
Maienda
Maiyinda
Malvenas
Mdaga
Miller
Milton, Henry. W.
Mkabwi
Mlendema
Mlumbachi
Mlungushi
Moalasi, Robert
Mobbs, Sgt Major
Mola
Monasiboba
Monasitebonzi
Monatshianda
Mono
Morningham
Moxton
Mtanti
Mtengina
Mtenka
Mtshwena
Mueswa
Muloa
Mulumba
Munro, James Young
Murray, Jack. Cpl (J. W. Murray)
Murray, W. G. G.
Muyanga
Mzogozwana
Nanjiwa
Natalie
Ndabandabe
NKua
Norton
Norton
Nyumkombo
O'Keefe, Sgt., J, M. Lanigan
Penkeli
Pompowula
Pompowula
Pryce
Sanjola
Shankonko
Shitukumbwa
Shobwa
Siagamzila
Siakwena
Siamabola
Siamagopa
Siamajogo
Siamayinda
Siamola
Siasokwi
Siboluema
Sigariatombwi
Sijanda
Sijanda
Silumbiji
Simkowega
Singh, Athem
Sisila
Sitshiombalo
Sunkwayila
Sykes
Tapula
Tilney
Tsammas
Tshaba
Tshaloba (Shaloba: Smith & Dale)
Tshapata
Vaiboom
Walker, Snr & Jnr
Worthington, Frank. V.
Zimmerman

Beit Hall, then and now...

2012-02-06T11:44:00.000-08:00

Prompted by a contact from a relative of Percy Light, secretary of the Agricultural Show Committee from its early days, I thought it was about time to post my pictures of the Beit Hall, which I visited in October 2011.

I had already done a stretch of gravestone photographing in great heat, thinking to myself about mad dogs and Englishmen, and next on my list was the Hall. I had seen photos of its opening in Hobson's book Showtime, and wanted to see what it looked like now, only having glimpsed it a couple of times from the road. (Kafue still feels relatively open and undeveloped as compared to Lusaka, though the land on either side of the road between the two is rapidly being developed.)

My memories of Kafue are mainly of going to buy hooks for 1 ngwee from one of the few shops, then going down to the river at the Makeni Centre Agricultural Settlement Village (started in the early 70s), where my cousin and I would hook sardine sized fish with our bit of fishing line tied to a bamboo pole, and our 1 ngwee hooks, and a little bread rolled into bait. Great days.

First here is the organising committee for the Agricultural Show in 1925, including the aforementioned Percy Light, who I am told never married, and died in 1941. His mother apparently also died in Northern Rhodesia in 1939. He was a long-serving secretary who opposed the move of the show to Lusaka, but as we know this was to happen. It appears that he also served during WWI.

This photo from Showtime taken in 1925 includes (back row, left to right) Eddie Kirby, Percy Light, Hubert Kirby (behind Percy), Capt F. Goodson, unknown, M. King, Chester Dean, J Woodrow Cross, unknown, Harry Dunbar, unknown, Alan Girling, Harry D. Frost, (seated) Capt John Brown, Mrs Mchellen and on the far right Mr and Mrs H W Cross.

Next we have the opening of the Beit Hall in 1931.

The hall was designed by A.T. Flutter, the Beit Society's architect and cost the Beit Railway Trust £4,500, "a special donation obtained through the good services of Sir Drummond", who also opened the building. The building had a ballroom, entrance hall (seen in the middle below), bar, dining room, kitchen and three bedrooms. One can imagine the "wholly delightful dance... attended by more than 200 people" reported by the Bulawayo chronicle.

Later Percy Light was to object to the moving of the show to Lusaka. "Development has now reached such a stage, and so much money has in various ways been spent on the property that the mere idea of letting things go even for one year is barely to be thought of...Members south of the river, who are already sufficiently upset over the dates of the show being the 31st of May and the 1st of June, when they will be busy with their reaping and therefore loth to leave their farms, would, it is feared, be definitely aggrieved and possibly completely alienated... Further, to hold a show at Lusaka would be the thin end of the wedge. An annual show at Lusaka would in all likelihood be clamoured for in future years... The Beit Trustees who made a special gift of the Beit Hall... will hardly be flattered... Sir Herbert Stanley could well be disappointed not to be given the opportunity of attending a show at Kafue, having known it in the old days... In the holding of the show at Lusaka... a leap is being made into the dark... "

And here is the hall in 2011, not looking so different externally (but read on).

This is the area facing the hall, rather dusty and unattractive.

Elections had just been held and there was graffiti on the wall here.

This must be inside the ballroom where the opening was held. The ceiling was in some disrepair, the stage obscured. There was a church choir here practising, and singing beautifully I must say.

People of all nations...

2012-01-28T05:55:00.000-08:00

Years ago I bought a stack of pictorial magazines in a series called "People of all Nations" (published 1922) from a second-hand shop in Coventry. It is typical of its time: romantic, risque, patronising and quaint. Occasionally there are really surprising photos, such as one of a man in Portugal wearing a raincoat apparently made out of sheaves of grass layered over one another, or of someone walking along barefoot carrying their shoes on their head, to keep them clean. From country to country one sees the traditional costumes worn and gets a sense of a slower life. Cars are mercifully rare.

On getting them out again today I noticed a section on the Rhodesias. We are told that game in Southern Rhodesia is already rare, but is plentiful up north. There is the old nonsense about the Arab kingdoms that built the stone houses whose ruins can be seen in Zimbabwe. And there is lots of colonial superiority about the indigence of the natives and their lack of ambition, as well as admiration for qualities such as honesty and intelligence.

Here is a map including some of the old place names of that time, including Elizabethville (Congo's Lubumbashi), Fort Jameson (Chipata), Abercorn (Mbala) and so on.

There was a photo of Livingstone town I hadn't remembered, which I feel I must share. The town is described as being North Rhodesia's embryo capital, replacing Fort Jameson (Chipata) as the administrative headquarters. Besides the government buildings it provides a hospital and a hotel -- the hotel is on the left in the photo below. The other buildings are apparently houses, although the one on the right looks like a store to me. I can't make out the name on the top.

Amongst the other photos (courtesy of the British South Africa Company, whose territory this was at the time) is this one of people outside the boma at Fort Jameson.

There is also one of people getting ready to set off for the Matopos from Bulawayo in their jalopies outside the Grand Hotel.

Mansel Bryant, Lilian Maud

2011-12-19T12:16:00.000-08:00

I recently visited the old graveyard in Kafue. I am not sure how to organise all these photos as I have so many... I shall start drip feeding them and put up a page with some more general views of the site.

Here are the other links related to this graveyard:

http://a-brickwall.blogspot.co.uk/p/old-cemetery-kafue.html

Here is a stone for Mansel Bryant, Lilian Maud, surviving spouse of William H.O. Mansel Bryant, of Pembrokeshire, Died June 19th 1942

who I am guessing is the one mentioned here
http://www.archive.org/stream/rollofhonourbiog02ruvi/rollofhonourbiog02ruvi_djvu.txt

Of William and Lilian the above link says they had a son who died in Palestine (corrections to OCR )

BRYANT, FREDERICK JAMES MANSEL, 2nd l.ieut.. 4th (Territorial) Battn. The Welsh Regt, only son of William Hugh Owen Mansel Bryant, of Pembroke, Solicitor, by his wife. Lilian Maud. daughter. of Frederick Walker, of Tenby ; b. Pembroke. 24 May. 1894; educ. at St. Andrew's. Tenby ; Clifton College, and Crystal Palace School of Engineering : obtained a commission 5 July 1915 ; served with the Egyptian Expeditionary Force from Sept. 1916, and was killed in action at Gaza, Palestine. 26 March. 1917. Buried there. Capt. F. S. Thomas Wrote : " He went into action valliantly at the head of his platoon, and led them bravely forward without flinching until hit by a Turkish bullet in the heart. No one could do more than he did. and his example was a grand one." and Lieut. J. Swire Griffiths : " He died a hero's death, and I am proud to think he was my friend ; he went into action— his first fight— as coolly and calmly as if on parade, and in the subsequent operations he was always leading and cheering his men. and upholding the best traditions of the British Army. Unm.

Dutch Reformed Church records

2011-11-19T02:44:00.001-08:00

Just in at familysearch.org, some Dutch Reformed Church records from Lusaka!

There are Membership records which date from 1920 to 1948.
And also the Baptism Records from 1915 to 1971.

Reference is also made to church of origin, including Rustenberg, Kalomo, Broken Hill, Frankfurt, Bloemfontein, Chingola, Waterberg, Umtali, Boksburg, Kroonstad, Enkeldooin, Brakpan, Johannesburg, Klerksdorp, Pietersberg, Middleburg, Zimba, Pretoria, Nkana and elsewhere

Family Names include (this list is not complete, but will contain most of the last names):

Ackerman
Aldum
Algera
Annondale
Bardenhorst
Barnard
Bekker
Benecke
Berg v.d.
Bineke
Blignaut
Booysen
Botha
Bothma
Boy
Briel
Bries
Brits
Bronkorst
Bruin
Buys
Calitz
Carrebott
Celliers
Christiaan
Claasen
Cloete
Coetzee
Coetzer
Conradie
Cossee
Cronje
Devenish
Dreyer
Dunn
Dykstra
Eloff
Erasmus
Esterhuyzen
Eyk (van)
Ferreira
Fouche
Fourie
Goote
Gravett
Grobler
Groenwald
Harmse
Hattingh
Heerden (van)
Heijstek
Holles ?
Holtzhausen
Holtzhouzen
Houston-McMillan
Jansen
Jonker
Jordaan
Joubert
Kerk
Kloppers
Kock
Kotze
Krause
Kruger
Merwe (van der)
Niekerk (van)
Landsberg
Laurens
Lawton
Leeuwen
Legrange
Liebenberg
Lombard
Loo
Lottering
Maree
Miene
Morais
Munie
Nel
Niewoudt
Oberholsten
Opperman
Oosthuizen
Plessis
Potgieter
Preez
Pretorius
Prinsloo
Pritchardt
Rademeyer
Rensberg
Roden
Roos
Rooysen
Roussous
Runia
Schempers
Schubert
Scott
Shanker
Small
Smit
Smuts
Snyman
Sonnekees
Staden (van)
Steenkamp
Steyn
Stienmann
Stone
Swanepoel
Swaners
Theunissen
Thompson
Toit du
Tonder
Uys
Venter
Viljoen
Viviers
Volskink
Vos
Vosloo
Voss
Vuuren
Waal
Walt v.d
Wat
Watt
Westhuizen
Wet
Wilemse
Wyk
Zyl

Lubwa - some nice materials

2011-11-06T07:52:00.000-08:00

Before I lose the link, I thought I'd post this pointer to some great materials on Lubwa mission, where David Kaunda preached and worked.

There are some very nice photos and cuttings here, featuring mainly the Revd Dr D.M. Brown, Scottish missionary, as well as a lot of information about Lubwa and other missions at Itete and Livingstonia.

http://www.hamishcurrie.me.uk/dmb/index.htm

Well worth taking time over...

Lusaka School then and now

2011-10-25T13:42:00.000-07:00

This is Lusaka's first school house -- probably started in 1908, by the Afrikaaner community -- you can read a list of some of the people enrolled here elsewhere on this blog.

The first picture above is from the national archives, and is included in Richard Sampson's book 'So this was Lusakaas'. It shows the original building from about 1910. Sampson also has quotes from a Mrs Maturin:

There was a tiny children's school at Lusakas kept by several colonial and Dutch girls for the surrounding farmers' children. I can't think how they faced the life, for it has none of the compensations of ours. A mud house, swarming with white ants, which ate walls, furniture, clothes, and everything else; poor food at famine prices; intense heat coming on; practically no society, no pleasures, nothing!

The pay given them was cruelly insufficient and they got but scant thanks... for [their] heroism.

An editorial appeared in Leopold Moore's Livingstone Mail:

Their house is not fit for the accommodation of cattle...

Almost the first question an intending settler will ask is 'What facilities are there for educating children?' And a really truthful answer would not afford him much encouragement. Be it understood that this is no disparagement on the teaching staffs of the Lusakas and Livingstone schools.

Regarding the complaints the school at Lusaka ... [from the Rev. Geldenhuis of the Dutch Reformed Church]. The former requested.. a site for the school teacher's residence and a grant in aid. The ground was immediately given, but before agreeing to pay half the teacher's salary and to otherwise assist, the Administration sought an assurance that instruction would be given in the English language, as in Southern Rhodesia. This assurance has never been given nor can the secretary get any reply on his letters on the subject. Under the circumstances we feel bound to acquit the Administration of all blame... We are in full sympathy with the stipulation as to language.

Following further comment that the Administration was not absolved from blame by the language issue, by August 1910 the foundation of the Government school had been laid.

By 1916 the building had been considerably expanded and continued to operate in this form until 1959, we are told by the 'Peugeot Guide to Lusaka', when the school moved to its new location, eventually becoming Lusaka Boys' School and Lusaka Girls' School and more recently Lusaka High School.

In 1934 the agricultural show was in Lusaka and former mayor, Jack Fisher, recalled in 1979:

The boarders' hostel was in Zomba road, and the boys taking a short cut across often disturbed grazing antelope.

There were about 100 students ... dispersed among four or five teachers. The headmaster was T.C. Deacon, a wiry man with a large nose, a cricketer of note, and a disciplinarian of the old school. Any boy who misbehaved was sent to T.C. with a note simply saying 'please give so-and-so six cuts', and T.C. rarely bothered to ask why.

The woodworking class was conducted by T.C. himself, and in 1934 he decided that it should submit an exhibit to the show... My project was a hat-rack -- 40 years ago no home was complete without one. Everyone wore a hat, most often a sun-helmet, some with a flap at the back to protect the spine, because it was generally believed that the tropical sun would cause heat-stroke without it.

As far as I know it was the first and last time woodworking exhibits were displayed ... by any school.

I visited in about 1980 and took this photo, which looks to be contemporary with the previous one from Williams' book. There were people living here at the time, I think government employees.

About 10 years ago, I guess, the place was renovated, I believe funded by students of the school itself. There was a display about the school, which unfortunately I didn't take photos of.

On my return in 2011 I was disappointed to find the gates closed, and the guard off duty somewhere. I managed to raise someone to let me in, but all I found was offices of Zambia National Heritage. I asked if I there was anything I could see, but there wasn't. Could I see the school register? Unfortunately not. It was away somewhere, but not on display. Maybe eventually it will be.

There are two museums in Lusaka I know of - the main one (which mostly houses items relating to the independence struggle, but was pretty sparse when I visited it, admittedly some years ago); and Kenneth Kaunda's house. Surely they could have a display in the main museum about the school? About the early properties? About the design of the city? About the history of the various suburbs and how they got their names? About the early inhabitants? About the items held by the national archives?

The new president, Michael Sata, has said that he is going to make tourism a priority. Let us hope that this will mean some progress.

Here's what it looks like now: tidy and in good physical condition, well restored, but really operating for the benefit of national heritage, and not advertised as a place for interested people to visit, or offering anything to see beyond the exterior, if you can get in the gates at all. A shame really for one of the oldest buildings in Lusaka....

References:
So this was Lusakaas, Richard Sampson, 2nd edition, 1982
Showtime, Dick Hobson, 1979
Adventures beyond the Zambesi, Mrs F. Maturin (as quoted by Sampson; I don't have this one)
The Peugeot Guide to Lusaka, Geoffrey Williams, Zambia Geographical Society, 1983

Robert Moffat family tree

2011-08-26T00:56:00.000-07:00

The book 'Robert Moffat, Pioneer in Africa' by Cecil Northcott (1961, Camelot Press) has quite an extensive Moffat family tree in it. Perhaps later I'll add some text notes on the contents of this tree. In the meantime, here it is. I also haven't read this book yet, but it looks good... One of these days. It also has an index; so, lookups offered as usual.

A pioneer's life in Africa (Savory)

2011-07-31T03:45:00.000-07:00

This is a very attractively produced, but brief (40 page) account by Marylee Banyard of the life of TW Savory, 1861-1948, who spent many years in Zambia. It was published by Moorings Press (Canada and Zambia) in 2008.

One can piece together a part of the Savory family tree, but there is only slight mention of other names. On the other hand, the diaries and some other resources from which this publication are drawn are held by the family at Moorings farm, near Monze, and it seems they would be happy to share those with researchers.

The Savory family is said to be of Hugenot origin, and were of some note in Norfolk, where they owned Twyford Village hall. They are also associated there with the Landy Brown family.

Thomas Savory was born in London, England in 1861. His father, Henry James Savory worked in an import/export business, and Thomas encountered live animals shipped to local zoos, which seem to have made an impression on him.

He travelled to Durban in 1882 via Cape Town, bringing silkworms with him. Later he spent time in Barberton, Johannesburg and Christiana (Transvaal) on gold, diamond and coal fields.

The Jameson raid precipitated a move to Bulawayo in 1897, but the family returned to Johannesburg some time later, before returning to Bulawayo again in 1907. Later the family were offered the Hartley farm in North Western Rhodesia (Zambia) and in 1914 had moved to the Choma area to manage the Moorings farm.

There are some nice photos...

The second one is of the Railway Pioneer Regiment, No. 1 Mess Troop, Bulawayo, during the Boer War. Thomas is in the centre.

Here are the few names...

Butts, Fred (Monze store owner)

Brown, Alice

Brown, G

Brown, Kate (Norwich)

Brown, Revd James

Baker, W.C. (Durban)

Elliot, Mrs (sister of W.C.Baker, Durban, 1880s)

Fitzgerald, Jim

Hajanza, Johannes Branchis (Tonga, Moorings farm worker)

Landy Brown, Charlotte m. TW Savory

Matthew, Dr (Johannesburg)

Maud, Arthur

Meikle, A.

Moreau, Fr. (Chikuni mission)

"Morris", farm messenger Choma

Murray, Mrs

Parker, Irene m. Lee

Raw, Harriet ("Harrie", "Dona") m. TW Savory 1886, first Raws in Natal

Savory, Catherine (?)

Savory, Harry, brother of TW

Savory, Henry James d.abt 1900, m. Landy Brown, Charlotte

Savory, Lee b.1890 (fought in France) m. Parker

Savory, Mary Molly b.1887 Barberton m. Salmon

Savory, Phyllis b.1901

Savory, Thomas b.1937, d.2008

Savory, Thomas Walter b.1861 m.1886 d.1948

Savory, Tommie d.1917, fought in East Africa, 2nd Rhodesia Regiment

Savory, William, brother of HJ, William H Savory & Co

Scott, Flora Gladys (Kokstad, Salisbury) x Tommie 1917

Souter, Mr

Stephenson, Colonel

Lusaka Theatre Club, 1970

2011-06-11T05:54:00.000-07:00

Here is a little tribute to the Lusaka Theatre Club and their production of the Sound of Music in Christmas 1970, the year, we are reminded by the programme, in which Zambia prepared to go metric. We were living near the Anglican Cathedral in Lusaka, but we would soon move to Makeni. I might have been in this production (my brother, Pierre was), but the rehearsals were just a bit too late.

The Concert Orchestra was the 2nd Battalion Zambia Regiment.

Above are some scans from the programme, and here is a list of names of people involved.

Washard Banda
Elizabeth Barr
Gavin Barr
Timoth Barr
Anita Behal
Harry Beeley
Chris Bell
Janet Bell
Nan Bell
Sharon Bell
Ruth Bond
Sylvia Bowler
Ian Brockbank
Gillian Burgess
Tom Burgess

Benita Campbell
Debbie Campbell
Stephen Campbell
Molly Care
Paul Campbell
Peter Cheese
Jane Chipendale
Barbara Cook
Martin Cook

Kerry Dalton
John De Goede
Mary De Goede
Peter Denmark
Pauline Denmark
Pierre Dil
Betty Dowling
Edumund Dowling (producer)
Ted Dowling
Ethel Drever
Heather Drummond
Jean Drummond
Perry Dutfield

Glyn Ellis (musical director)

Bill Fazakerly

Eileen Galloway
J. Glyn (Dr)
Norma Glyn
Patricia Glyn
"Godwin"
Valerie Green

Dorothy Haile
Daphne Hall
Mandy Hannen
Patrick Hannen
Gillian Harries
Brian Harvey
Marcel Harvey
Rosemary Harvey
Ross Hill
Tony Hobbs
Vera Hobbs
Karen Hoffmeyer
Gwynneth Howard
Norma Huston

Mary Jezzard
Anne Johns
Stephen Johnstone
Reg Jones

Dave King
Nicolina Kalulu

Anne Laming
Dot Laming
Sandra Langman
Heidi Lunde

Shirley Mair
Gordon MacQueen
Sandra Manning
Lynn Mayoss
Lt Col. Mibenge (2nd Bn Zambi Regt)
Brett Miles
Terry Miles
Norma Mitchell
Hilary Mear
Timothy Mufibwa
Jennifer Musk

Bruce Nixon

Mandy Philo

Fenella Redway
Veronica Redway
Doreen Rowbottom

Martyn Sadler
Diana Scott
Sarah Scott
Elizabeth Searle
Jennifer Sharp
Eddie Smith
Ted Spain
Richard Starnes
Valerie Starnes
Deborah Stevens

Tony Tiffin (Cartoons and programme design)

Rosemary Van Eck

Janice Ward
Anne Watson
Janet Weller
Alison White
Andrew White
David White
Peter White
Ian Whittaker
Anne Wilkie
Jackie Willday
Marguerite Williamson
Jeff Wilson

Romance and Reality of life in Northern Rhodesia (Kerswell)

2011-05-09T23:20:00.000-07:00

This little book was published in London in the early 20th century by Kate Kerswell and tells the story of Revd J.A. Kerswell and his wife Kate's mission in Nambala from roughly 1908-1912.
It's a brief but pleasant read, as usual describing travel from England to the interior and then time at the mission, with the usual stories of snakes, lions, malaria, mishaps and misunderstandings.
They go via Southampton in 1908 and up by train from Cape Town via Kimberley, Bulawayo, Livingstone, Kafue Bridge and Broken Hill (Kabwe) where they stop at the Grand Hotel, 'a number of round huts' with windows covered by calico.
There they meet the Rev. W. Chapman and Ila porters who will carry their luggage to their mission station at Nambala. At a village near Mumbwa they meet Mr A.C. Anderson, 'the official of the Kafue district'. They also meet the grandson of famous missionary Dr Moffat. (Anderson must have died not long after as he is later referred to as 'the late'.)
We hear a little of a local chief, Katumpa and his encounter with a mirror.
The native teacher is Robert Maolosi (from Aliwal North, South Africa).

After some time Chapman leaves them there. They receive a letter from G.E.Butt saying he will visit soon, but he needs porters to bring his bags from the railway station, 113 miles away. Later they join him in a trip to Nanzela where they meet Rev J.W. and Mrs Price.
Returning to Nambala they meet Rev. W. Comber Burgess, a Wesleyan minister who (declining to take quinine, trusting to God instead) died of malaria in Lusakas that same rainy season (1909).
We hear also of the medical work the Kerswell's carried on at Nambala. Medicine donated by a Mr Calow 'of Redcar' turns out to be useful. We also hear about cases of 'jiggers' and many other events in the live of Ila people and the mission.

There is a summary of names in the book at the end of this article.
Machilas, machelas, maschelas...

A reader asked me if I knew what "maschelas" referred to on a postcard. I thought I'd just post a response here.

I think the most common spelling I've seen is "machila", but clearly there will be regional variations in the spelling, and besides, early writers would have spelt it phonetically, according to how they heard it.

Europeans travelling long distances, mostly women and children, would be carried on a machila by Africans, sometimes as far as from the coast to the interior.

Also people who were ill, injured or lame would often be carried this way. Sometimes Africans were carried this way long distances to the few medical stations there were in these days.

It is basically a conveyance that looks like a hammock, usually with a sun-shade, and carried on poles by teams of carriers, who would take turns relieiving one another if the journey was long.

Occasionally one will hear a story of how someone fell out or how many times they fell out that day, and of how all the carriers laughed. Apparently it would be a bit difficult to get used to, a bit sea-sick making perhaps, but also could be quite soporific if the carried person surrendered to it.

Nambala to the Zambesi, depending on which part of the river, might have been 200 miles or so. This was also the way that Kate travelled to Nambala from Broken Hill.

If you do some googling (add some relevant words, like "transport") you will see that this form of transport was also used in other parts of the world, apparently with the same name - so where did the name come from? I haven't researched it. Perhaps someone will comment.

Some names in this book

Anderson, Mr A.C.
Burgess, Rev. W. Comber
Buzande 69
Calow p84
Chapman, Rev W
Chibomba
Chidabufu's 63
Fell, Revd J.R. and Mrs p58, 70-1, 75, 81, 92
Hogg, Mr (Sijoba) p95
Kafwifwi's 64
Katumpa
Kerswell
Maolosi, Robert
Maulusi's 61
Mbula or Mbulu p50-54
Mono
Mukubelu
Mukunkus 61
Naluba's 67
Senachisigili, chief p89
Shamakundi's 65
Smith, Mr & Mrs 64-7, 84
Spencer, Mr T (of South Shields) p76
Tomo
Walker (early farmer) p67
Zamo 69

Nswana - The Heir (Charles Fisher)

2011-04-10T04:39:00.000-07:00

Another index... The subtitle of this book is "The life and times of Charles Fisher, a surgeon in central Africa". This is by Monica Fisher. My copy was published by Mission Press, PO Box 71581, Ndola, Zambia in 1991.

This is a sequel to "Ndotolu - The life and stories of Walter and Anna Fisher of Central Africa" (formerly published as "Africa looks ahead"; see elsewhere on this blog for an index to this book) and tells the story of Walter's son Charles and his time as a surgeon in Northern Rhodesia at Kalene Hill hospital and elsewhere. There are mentions of a number of British visitors and Charles' time in England while studying at Cambridge and in Southern Rhodesia. There is quite a bit on hospitals on the copperbelt.

According to this account, Walter was influenced by Arnot, a neighbour of David Livingstone in Hamilton Scotland, to make his mark in Africa. Charles later followed in Walter's footsteps and made great contributions to medicine in Zambia. The book roughly covers the period 1900-1981, although there is also a repeated account of some of the information in Africa Looks Ahead / Ndotolu.

Unfortunately I read this so long ago that I am not going to attempt a fuller account of the book, but it is well referenced and indexed, so I will repeat some of the index here. The book also includes a lot of genealogical information on the Fisher and Darling family trees. One gets the impression that more would be available from the author. Good reading...

Here are (most of) the names in the index. I have left out most place names:

Acheson, Denis, Dr Jim, Mrs Maud
Adamson, A.L.
Allison, Vyvyan
Amos, Margery
Arnot, Frederick Stanley m Harriet Fisher
Ashton, Dr Leigh
Asnot, Boaz
Auchinleck, Sir Claud
Ayer, Frank
Aylward, Gladys

Barklie, Hester

Clark, J.A., Kenneth
Clough, Eric and Mrs
Coillard, M
Collier, William
Cook, The Drs
Cooke, A.J.
Copeman, A.E.
Coryndon, Sir Robert
Cottrell, John and Daphne
Crathorne, Lord
Crawford, Dan
Creech Jones, Arthur and Mrs
Cross, Revd A.J., J.W.

Dalhousie, Earl
Darling, Ada wife of Dr JSD
Darling, Rev Charles m Hester Barklie
Darling, Eileen dau of Dr SD
Darling, Guy son of Dr SD m. Dr. G. Revington
Fisher, Harriet "Trottie"
Darling, Henry twin of SE d.1867
Darling, James m. Hilda Maxwell
Darling, John (Revd) d.1620
Darling, John Singleton m (1) Mary Johnston (2) Isabella Knox
Darling, Letitia Belinda "Linnie"
Darling, Marrian
Darling, Dr J Singleton m (1) Ada Belcher (2) Marjorie Shillington
Darling, Ronald son of Dr SD
Darling, Susanna nee ffolliott m James Darling
Darling, William D son of JSD
Darling, WD ffolliott, Cousin ACF
Davey, William (FRCS)
Dixon, Dr Patrick (FRCS)
Dixon, capitao
Dlamini, Edith
d'Orsini, Contessa
Dowds, Dr Jack

English, Reginald
Ervine family

Faulknor, WL
Fisher, Alfred Charles m Monica nee Hanford
Fisher, Anne dau W ffolliott F m R Wyatt
Fisher, Charles Walter Stewart b1943 m Louise nee Rhodes
Fisher, Dr Georgina nee Revington m (1) Guy Darling(2) Wilfred Fisher
Fisher, Grenfell
Fisher, Henry d. WWI
Fisher, Herbert d. WWI
Fisher, Hester Chilombo "Hettie"
Fisher, Joyce m Gordon Grout
Fisher, Kitty nee Marks m W Singleton Fisher
Fisher, Michael Hugh b 1949 m Jann Oosthuizen
Fisher, M Monica nee Hanford m A.C.F
Fisher, Pearl 1899-1901
Fisher, Pearl dau WSF m (1) Victor Reed (2) Peter Lavers
Fisher, Rachel nee Starkey m W.B.F.
Fisher, Susanna (Anna) nee Darling m WF (1865-1937)
Fisher, Terence "Terry" son of WSF
Fisher, Dr Theodore
Fisher, Dr Walter "Ndotolu"
Fisher, Walter ffolliott 1898-1966 m Ethelwynne Marks
Fisher, Wilfred m Georgina Darling nee Revington
Fisher, William Benjamin 1828-1899 m Rachel Starkey
Fisher, W. Singleton 1895-1960 son of WF m Kitty Marks
ffolliott, Susanna m James Darling
Franklin, Harry
Fraser, Drs Donald and Agnes
Fraser, Revd George m Jean Mieklejohn
Freedendal, Fritz and Friedl

Gall, RB
Ghyoot, Dr E and Mrs
Gibbons, Maj A StH
Gilbert, Dr Frank
Glatthaar, Dr Leo
Goldman, Prof Edwin Monck m Lorna Bosworth-Smith
Goldman, Lorna
Gondwe, Alfred
Goodfellow, Derek
Gore-Browne, Sir Francis m Helenor Shaw-Stewart
Gore-Browne, Lorna nee Goldman
Gore-Browne, Mabyl
Gore-Browne, Robert 1893-1972 m Margaret Elias
Gore-Browne, Sapphire
Gore-Browne, Lt Col Sir Stewart m Lorna
Gore-Browne, Sir Thomas m Harriet Campbell
Gore-Browne, Rev Wilfred 1st Bishop of Kuruman and Kimberley
Gouzee, M
Greenberg, Dr
Green-Wilkinson, Oliver (Archbishop)
Grenfell, Joyce
Grenville-Grey, Wilfrid m Edith Dlamini

Hall, Elsie (pianist) m Dr Stohr
Hammond, RW
Hanford, Eliza nee Lacey m William Hanford
Hanford, Dr Francis W m Joan Austin-Holmes
Hanford, Rev Cannon Hugh D m Sapphire Gore-Brown 1887-1970
Hanford, William 1938-1921 m Eliza Lacey
Hannah, Dr James
Harding, Col Colin
Harris-Evans, Rev Douglas b 1907 m Helenor Hanford
Harris-Evans, Helenor
Haslam, Dr JFC
Henderson, Dr
Hewitt, Rev George
Highton, medical orderly
Hillary, Sir Edmund
Hilwood Farm
Hooper, Dr Otto (Nkana)
Howell, Dr James (FRCS)
Hoyte, Dr Julyan 1892-1969 m (1) Rachel Mary "May" Fisher (2) Adelaide Hobbs
Hoyte, Raymond d WWI
Hoyte, William and Henrietta nee Merryshaw
Hoyte, Wyn m. P.Last
Hunt, Margaret wife of P. Hunt
Hunt, Norman (architect)
Hunt, Peter (FRCS) m Margaret
Huggins, Sir Godfrey
Huxley, Elspeth
Hyland, Jane m 1784 Charles Singleton
Hyland, Susan

Iain, F, Peter, Patricia (? earlier in index)
Iceley, Rev Barnard
Ingborg (?) Lewis
Ingham, John
Irvine, Dr Dorothy nee Last b 1916
Irwin, David

James, Sinkonde (cook)
James, chauffeur
James, Gordon
Johnson, J (MP)
Johnston, Sir H.
Joloki, capitao
Jonas, chauffeur
Jones, Sir Glyn (Nyasaland)
Jones, Mrs Matron
Joubert, Frank & Mrs Enid Goldman
Judson, EW head of Sakeji School

Kalulu, game guard
Kalwa
Kama, Chief
Kamanga, Reubin
Kanmer, Dr & Mrs
Kamona, nursemaid
Kamona (Nyawili)
Kapwepwe, Simon
Kasavubu, president of Zaire
Kashiba ka Beno Mofya
Katareka
Katilungu, Lawrence
Kaunda, Dr Kenneth & Betty
Komoka, capitao
Kruger, Paul (Transvaal)

Lane, F
Last, Percy m Wyn nee Hoyte d 1917 dau Dorothy
Lavers, Pearl (Fisher)
Lawless, Drs James and Margaret
Leiper, prof.
Lenshina, Alice
Lewanika, King
Lewis, Arthur (architect)
Lewis, CS, HK
Lewis, O, stepgrandson of Mrs Boake m Ingborg Ellis
Lewis, Dr (neurosurgeon)
Lippert company
Livingstone, David
Llewellin Hospital (Kitwe central)
Lobengula, chief
Locke-King, Ethel DBE nee Gore-Browne m Hugh LK
Lubwa mission
Lumumba, Patrice
Lwenge Lodge
Lynn, Joseph

MacGregor "one-eyed" (could be same as in Ndotolu)
Mackenzie, WJ "Mac"
MacLaren, AB "Sandy"
Macleod, Revd Lord George
MacMinn, Revd and Mrs
Mahanga, wife of Msidi
Makangala, hunter
Makulu, Rev Henry
Malcomson, Rodney MP, dentist
Manasseh, medical orderly
March, Charles Earl
Maria, wife of Msidi
Marks, Ethel nee Burgess
Marks, Betty (Mrs Muir)
Marks, Ethelwynne
Marks, Joyce
Marsh, Joy nee Hanford b 1917 m Major Jeremy Marsh
Matthews, Rev Peter
McMullan, Mary Joy Susanna nee Fisher b 1948 m Terence McMullan
McNeil, Alec and Eve
Mengo
Menzies, IR "Bob" & Cosette
Miller, Bruce
Millman, William
Mindolo Ecumenical Foundation
Moffat, Rev Malcolm
Moffat, Sir John
Monckton, Lord
Monema, wife of Msidi
Moore, Mike
Morris, Revd Colin
Morris, Thomas
Mouchet, Dr
Msidi (Mushili, Msiri) Chief
Mudenda, Elijah
Musuka
Mwanakatwe, John
Mwanta Tamvwa, Paramount chief
Mwenzo mission

Nana Candundu
Nangle EJ
Ndona, Miss, Mrs
Ndubeni, chief
Nelson, cook
Nesbit
Nightingale, Edythe
Nightingale, Florence
Nightingale, Hester "Hettie" nee Fisher 1901-1935 m Rowlan N
Nightingale, Rowland
Nkumbula, Harry
Noak, Hans (architect)
Ntambu, chief
Nyakatolo, chiefteness
Nyawili (Kamona)

Ogden, John pianist
O'John, Mrs
Olen
Opala
orphanage at Sakeji
Osler, Sir William

Paddy (Bruce Miller)
Patel, D.L.
Payne, Charles
Philips, Celia nee Hanford b 1917 m Rev Rees Phillips, son Robert
Plat, Dr BS
Plumtree school
Pollett, Hugh
Ponsonby, Sir Charles, Winifred
Porto, Senhor Silva
Powdermaker, Prof Hortense
Prain, Sir Ronald
Pridie, Dr Kenneth (FRCS)
Pyke, Dr Hugh

Rand, Dr
Rennie, Sir Gilbert
Revington, Dr Georgina
Rhodes, Cecil
Rhodes, Louise (Fisher)
Richards, Dr Audrey
Ritchie, Lt General Neil
Rodger, Dr LM
Ross, Sir Ronald
Russell, Judge

Sailunga, chief
Sakayema
Sakaumba, chief
Sakeji school
Samuel, Satangama
Sandongu
Saxton, Drs Dorothy & George
Schindler, Freddy
Scweitzer, Dr Albert
Scott, Dr Alexander
Scott, Mrs Jeannine
Scott, Sir Peter
Sebituane, chief
Secuti's drift
Selby-Taylor, Rev
Senff, Mr
Sharp, R
Sharp, Dr Ruby
Sharpe, Sir Alfred
Sheehan, Prof
Shiwa Ngandu estate and hospital
Short, Prof & Mrs Rendle
Sikumbi
Silasi
Sillett, Rev Frederick & Dr Rachel
Singleton, Charles m Jane Hyland 1784
Singleton, Martha m Abraham ffolliott 1806
Sisters of charity
Smith, Dr Stanley
Smith, Mr, superintendent Shiwa hospital
Spare, Mrs Pat
Spock Dr B
Springer, Bishop & Mrs
Stairs, capt William Grant
Starkey, Rachel
Steele, Percy supt Luanshya hospital
Stirling, Col Sir David
Stockton, Revd James
Stohr, Dr
Storke, Arthur D
Sugg, John
Susman, Otto
Sutton, Angela nee Gore-Browne m (1) B Bell (2) J Sutton
Swan, CA

Tanner, Norman (FRCS) & dau Anne
Temple, Rev Merfyn
Tenke
Thesiger, Wilfrid
Thompson, HB
Thorndyke, Dame Sybil & Sir Hugh Casson
Thornycroft, Henry
Thorpe
Tottie, cape coloured
Tremain, John general manager
Tredgold, Mr Justice
Trotter, Mrs Nancy
Tshilongo
Tshombe, Moise
Tshopo river
Tysoe, Captain

Vambe, Lawrence
Vibetti, Mr
Victoria falls hotel
Vilanculos
Von Lingen, Phyllis "Prune"

Waddington, Sir John
Walker, Mackie
Walters, Vera m P Withpetersen
Watson, Sir Malcolm
Wedgwood Harold
Welensky, Sir Roy
Wheeler, Jim m Joyce Marks dau Susan
Wide, Dr ER
Wili, medical orderly
Williams, Emlyn (actor)
Williams, Dr B
Wina, Arthur MP
Wingate, General Orde
Winther, AS
Wood, Dr Michael
Woodrow Cross, Eileen nee Bruce Miller b1919 m JW Cross
Woodrow Cross J
Wusikili

Yakusu
Yeke
Yendeka, Mr

New photo collection at UK national archives

2011-02-11T07:24:00.000-08:00

It's worth doing a little search at the UK Archives photo stream on flickr.

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/africa/ includes a small number of Zambian photos, apparently copyright free. Several are pre or just post independence.

How about this for a KK photo?

See also the collections for other countries - there are many from South Africa, and there is one of the "Southern Rhodesia Executive Council" in 1933.

Some aerial photos are quite interesting. What is this? It looks like the High Court in Lusaka, but I can't quite figure it out!

A Time to Mourn (Lumpa Church)

2010-12-29T08:32:00.000-08:00

A Time To Mourn (A personal account of the the 1964 Lumpa Church revolt by John Hudson). My copy is from Bookworld Publishers, Lusaka, 1999.

The episode in Northern Rhodesian history is well known and there are several accounts in print.

In 1953 the Lumpa Church was founded as an offshoot sect of the local Catholic church in Chinsali district. Its founder, Alice "Lenshina" (Regina) Lubusha , was "a failed catechumen" according to this account.

Something happened to Alice: an illness, a vision, a hallucination perhaps, in which she believed she had died and risen from the dead four times, and had seen God. After a period in which she remained in her original church, during which perhaps all the trouble might have been avoided, she established a breakaway church with a focus on confession of witchcraft. (Of course, failure to confess might mean guilt. This may have contributed to the quick rise in her church membership.) Crucially, also, the church was against participation in politics or membership of political parties, and this would ultimately lead to conflict and bloodshed. The time, of course, was leading up to the independence of Zambia, and UNIP members were militant. In the final stages, roughly two months before independence in October 1964, the army moved in on Lumpa Church settlements.

The Lumpa church members were not only suspicious of outsiders and political party members, but openly hostile. There had been skirmishes and a few deaths and reprisals before the real massacres began. Lumpa church members stopped sending their children to school. In addition, the church had defied local law and set up villages without permission of local chiefs. This disregard and isolation led to suspicion and aggression. Animosity had grown between church members and UNIP supporters.

Kenneth Kaunda certainly tried to avert the crisis, but perhaps at that point things had gone too far. An agreement brokered by KK was drawn up for church settlements to disperse, but this was not honoured or enforced. The church began to develop end-time tendencies, believing that their time on earth was short. They stopped cultivating food and had to resort to raids on neighbouring villages instead.

The Lumpa church members were mostly armed with sharp sticks, spears and pangas, whilst the Northern Rhodesia Regiment (NRR) were armed with automatic rifles. In spite of there having been a couple of causalities on the army side (mainly during their attempts to negotiate) there was no contest in the end. As many as a thousand Lumpas were killed. With independence approaching, the killings did not perhaps receive the kind of attention that they might have done in less tense circumstances. The government was more concerned with preparation for independence. However, the authorities concerned are left looking pretty bad, in my opinion.

Surprisingly, after such a disastrous event and although Alice was sent to prison and died a mysterious death in 1978 under house arrest, the Lumpa (excelling/exceeding) church still survives today.

I came across some quite horrific footage on-line, of an attack on a Lumpa Church, I believe the main church building, judging by its size. Why this footage was shot and how it has survived to see the light of day are a mystery to me. One would imagine it would have been destroyed.... These pictures can't bring home the full horror of it. I have avoided the worst images. The violence perpetrated against people who clearly are not attempting to fight is completely unjustifiable.

A White Father was trying to help the injured.

One can only say that 'a time to mourn' is quite right....

Here are some of the names in the book:

Baker, Lt col. Bill p43, 47, 110-11
Bell p72
Bennet, Peter p60
Bird, J.D.O. (police) p41-42
Chansa, constable (killed) p41, 87
Chibolya, Maini p78, 108-9, 128
Chikwa, chief p.47
Chisolm, Dr James A. p75
Chitimukulu, paramount chief p29
Chiwale, chief p72
Clay, Gervas p74, 78, 135
Drysdale, p72
Ellis, Senior inspector p38
Forbes (1895) p71
Gillies, inspector p46
Gore Brown, p131-34
Hannah, John (D.C. Chinsali) p40, 86
Hannah, J.W. p41-44, 46 failed to get surrender
Hoare, Major Paul p94
Hone, Sir Evelyn p54
Hopwood, detective inspector p38, 43
Hudson, Rowland p134
Jones, "Ropesole" p73
Jordan, inspector (killed) p42, 43
Kakokota, Fr p29
Kameko (Lumpa boy chastised by UNIP uncle) p38
Kamfwimbi, chief p128
Kapele, Alfred p62-3
Kapwepwe, Simon p55
Kaunda, David p.11 @ Lubwa mission
Kaunda, Helen p56
Kaunda, Kenneth p54-6
Kaunda, Robert p56
Kihn, Dr Ron p87-8
Lalonde, Fr (White fathers, Isoka) p88-9
Large, Philip p81
Legum, Colin p56
Lehman, Dorothea (missionary and author) p21
Ling, Colin (DO Lundazi) p47, 95-6
Lester, assistant inspector p38
Lubusha, Alice Mulenga, a.k.a. Lenshina p12 (whole book)
Lungu, Jacob (ex army) p36
Macpherson, Revd Fergus p12-15
McKinnon, Charles p72

McMinn, Revd Robert p19
Miller (Nyala area) p72
Moir and Stewart, African lakes company19th C.
Morris, Revd Colin p35
Moss, Mr P. p43 (district officer)
Mpapa, constable p40, 42
Mubanga, Chief p38
Mulenga, Petros Chitankwa p12, 20, 23, 29, 40 (husband of Alice)
Mumba, Joseph (church member) p29
Mushindo, Paul p15, 19
Musukanya, Valentine & Flavia p77
Musukwa, Timothy p77-8, 81, 82, 85, 99-103, 111, 119-129
Muyombe p82-5
Ngandu, Lupele p62
Nichelya, Musuku p62-3
Nkula, Chief p29,30
Northey, General E. (WWI) p112, 116
Paishuko, p48-51
Reid, Brigadier T.N.S. p117
Robins, John p77, 106-8, 123
Shimulopwe, assistant inspector p38
Sinkamba, Gideon p78, 109-10, 128
Smith, Derek (killed) p40, 87, 102
Smith, lieutenant p89
Stacey, Charles (solicitor) p60
Standaloft, assistant inspector p42
Stevenson, James p71 19th c.
Sumaili, Lameck p60
Thompson, Hugh p60
Trant, Dr Hope p78, 87-9
Von Lettow Vorbeck, Paul (WWI) p112, 116

Young, "Bobo" p72

Empire Online

2010-12-17T01:42:00.000-08:00

This list from Empire Online
contains "the names of some of the key people in the database."

Many of these names will have connections to southern and central Africa

Abbe Gunga     Elphinstone     Outram
Abdool Messeeh's     Emerson     Ouvry
Abdul Baha     Eustace     Oxley
Abdul Masih     Everett-Green     Palmerston
Abdul Rahim     Eyre     Pandit Nehru
Abel     Falconbridge     Panta
Acland     Farquhar     Park
Aggrey     Fawcett     Parkes
Agirre     Fay     Parkinson
Prince Albert     Fenn     Parry
Albert     Ferdinand     Pascoe
Aldridge     Field     Passfield
Alkaid of Jillipee     Firminger     Paterson
Allabasca     Fisher     Paxton
Alley     Fleming     Pearce
Allinson     Fletcher     Peck
Ameer Ali     Forbes     Peel
Anderson     Forquhar     Perry
Andrew     Forster     Philip
Angas     Fremantle     Phillipson
Ansell     Frere     Picarro
Anson     Froude     Pigott
Apianus     Fry     Pigwys
Archbishop of Canterbury     Furneux     Pillai
Arlington     Galton     Pitt
Aurangzeb (Oram Rebb)     Gambier     Pizzaro
Azariah     Gandhi     Plaatje
Bacon     Garcia     Pochahuntus
Baden-Powell     Gardiner     Pomare
Baijnath     Gardner     Pomarre
Baikie     Garrett     Popham
Ballantyne     Gates     Portman
Banerjee     Gaunt     Porter
Banks     Gelsthorpe     Postans
Bannister     Gibson     Poulaho
Barbour     Gilbert     Powhaton
Baring     Gladstone     Praed
Baring-Gould     Glenelg     Pratt
Barker     Goldie     Prince Albert
Barnes     Goohoogong     Prizgar
Barnley     Gordon     Ptolemy
Baskerville     Ormsby-Gore     Radisson
Bateman     Gottlieb     Ral
Battersby     Goulburn     Raleigh
Beecham     Grand Vizier of Turkey     Read
Behn     Gray     Reed
Bell     Grant     Rewa
Bennett     Great Mughal     Rex
Berry     Greenway     Rhenius
Berthelot     Grenville     Rhodes
Besant     Grey     Ringeltaube
Bian     Gribbell     Ringrose
Bird     Griffiths     Ritchie
Bhore     Groue     Roberson
Bisset     Nares Chandra Sen-Gupta     Roberts
Blaeu     Gutiero     Robertson
Bleck     Gwynne     Robinson
Bligh     Hack     Rogers
Blumhardt     Hadfield     Rolls
Bokwe     Haggard     Roman
Bonnerjee     Haidar Ali     Rosende
Booth     Haldane     Rowlandson
Bokwe     Hall     Roy
Borlase     Harrington     Russell
Bougainville     Harriott     Salazor
Bourne     Harris     Salim
Bowen     Harrison     Salter
Bowley     Hastings     Sances
Boxwell     Havelock     Sarasvati
Boyle     Hawkins     Satthianadhan
Brangwyn     Henry the Navigator     Sawkins
Brightly     Henty     Sawyer
Brind     Herbert     Schnarre
Brisbane     Hill     Scholes
Broughton     Hixon     Schreiner
Brown     Hoare     Cammerer
Bruce     Hobson     Seeley
Bryce     Hodges     Seetaram
Bryden     Hole     Selkirk
Buchan     Hollander     Selous
Buchanan     Holles     Shah Jehan
Buck     Homney     Shah Sonia
Buckley     Hondius     Shaikh
Bull     Hooper     Shapland
Bundles     Horstead.     Sharp
Bungham     Hughes-Hallett     Sharpeigh
Burchett     Hunt     Shaw Bash
Burman     Hyder Ally     Shaw
Burton     Impey     Sheikh Raji Oo Din
Bushnell     Ingram     Sheldon
Butler     Innes     Shepherd
Buxton     Ironside     Sheridan
Byron     Isabella     Shewkat Pasha
de Bry     Jameson     Shiya
Cabot     Jephson     Skene
Caddick     Johnston     Skertchly
Calcott     Joe Little Chief     Sly
Caldwell     Jolobe     Smart
Camelford     Jones     Smith
Campbell     Jourdain     Smithhurst
Cantino     Juon de Ampudia     Snelgrove
Cardoso     Kaempfer     Solander
Carey     Kearns     Sommers
Carlyle     Kell     Sorabji
Carnarvon     Kendall     Sowden
Carpenter     Kenyatta     Soza
Carr     Kingsley     Speke
Carter     Kingston     Stables
Casement     Kinnaird     Stanley
Casson     Knight     Stead
Ceelie     Knox     Steel
Chamberlain     Kruger     Steer
Chambers     Kuku     Steere
Chapman     La Perouse     Stephens
Charles II     La Warre     Stevenson
Charles V     Lampson     St. Lys
Chatterjee     Lascasas     Stockenstrum
Chiang Kai-Shek     Law     Strachey
Chief Rewa     Lawrence     Straith
Chisholm     Lawson     Summer
Clarkson     Lechmore     Swan
Clinch     Ledyard     Swinton
Clive     Legge     Symons
Coates     Lennox-Boyd     Tarron
Cobden     Livingstone     Tasman
Cockran     Locquett     Taylor
Colenso     Lovett     Teall
Coleridge-Taylor     Lucas     Tennalilly
Colnett     Lugard     Thomason
Columbus     Luther     Thompson
Confucius     Macdonald     Thornason
Coocoogoing     Machray     Thornton
Cook     Mackenzie     Threlkeld
Cookes     Macleod     Throsby
Coote     Macmillan     Tinnelong
Copley     Macquarie     Tomlinson
Copway     Madhaviah     Tooworero
Cornwallis     Malabari     Townly
Corrie     Malla Bucks     Townsend
Cortez     Maquinna     Tubman
Cowley     Marryat     Tucker
Cowper     Marsden     Tupaia
Crane     Marshman     Turner
Cromer     Martin     Turong
Crowther     Martyn     Twisleton
Cugoano     Mechan     Tymms
Cunambah     Mehemet Ali     Udny
Cundall     Menzies     Van der Stel
Cunliffe-Owen     Merriman-Labor     Van Diemen
Cunningham     Middleton     Vancouver
Curzon     Midwinter     Vanderkemp
Dalai Lama     Mihrbanji     Vasco de Gama
Dalgarno     Mill     Vason
Dampier     Millar     Vega
Daniell     Moffat     Venn
Dara Shikoh     Mohamed Farid Bey     Queen Victoria
Davies     Moll     Vischer
Davin     Mookerjee     Visscher
Davis     Mookerji     Wafer
Dawes     Moore     Wakefield
De Brazza     Morel     Walker
Dean of Ripon     Morice     Wallis
Deer     Mqayi     Walters
Denton     Mukharji     Warburton
Dhlomo     Muller     Ward
Dilke     Munahbingah     Waring
Disraeli     Murad     Warren
Diver     Mutsuhito     Warrington
Doss     Naoroji     Washington
Downing     Nash     Waters
Doyley     Nauarros     Webber
Drake     Nevill     Wedderburn
Dube     Newnham     Weedon
Du Bois     Newport     Weitbrecht
Du Chailu     Newton     Weldon
Duchess of Beaufort     Nicholls     Wellesley
Dud     Nikambe     Wentworth
Dudgeon     Norgate     West
Duke of Albemarle     Normand     Weymouth
Duke of Bucleugh     Nowrojee     Whapai
Duke of Newcastle     Nundy     Wheatley
Dundas     Nylander     Wheeler
Duse Mohamed     Oglethorpe     White
Dutt     Ogumefu     Wiegrabe
Dyson     Ohiatoua     Wigram
Earl of Chichester     O'Keefe     Wild
Earl of Moira     Oldham     Williams
Earl of Sandwich     Olivier     Wilson
Eaton     Omai     Wirgman
Edgar     O'Meara     Woid
Edwards     O'Connell     Wood
Egerton     Ortelius     Wyat
El Baroni Bey     Otoo     Wyat
Ellis     Ottago     Yate

South African Empire podcast

2010-11-11T10:00:00.000-08:00

The UK National Archives have some podcasts worth a listen. There's plenty here on how to search for ancestors with particular backgrounds, including ones who wound up in prison, the workhouse, or the circus.

There's also help on searching for people in certain locales, for example in Scotland, and discussion on emigration to Canada and Ireland, transportation to Australia and on immigration to the UK. There's even a podcast about UFOs! Plenty to choose from...

For people interested in South Africa, there is one on the "South African Empire"